Display devices used in flat-screen televisions, personal computers, and smartphones have active matrix type liquid crystal display devices with thin film transistors as switching elements. Examples of liquid crystal display devices under development that have wide viewing angle characteristics include liquid crystal display devices and the like utilizing VA (vertical alignment) mode, IPS (in-plane switching) mode, which is a horizontal electric field mode, or FFS (fringe field switching) mode.
Known VA mode liquid crystal display devices include MVA (multi-domain vertical alignment) mode liquid crystal display devices, in which one pixel includes a plurality of domains with liquid crystals that have differing orientations from each other. Also, CPA (continuous pinwheel alignment) mode liquid crystal display devices in which the liquid crystal orientation direction continuously varies around a rivet or the like formed on an electrode at the center of a pixel are known.
Patent Document 1 discloses an MVA mode liquid crystal display device provided with pixel electrodes each having a plurality of fine slits (narrow cuts) extending in the directions of azimuthal angles 45°, 135°, 225°, and 315°. Pixel electrodes with this type of shape are called “fishbone-like pixel electrodes” or “comb tooth pixel electrodes.” Liquid crystal molecules are oriented parallel to the slits when a voltage is being applied, whereby the four-domain alignment structure can be realized.
Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a protruding structure is provided in a pixel area. The protruding structure is for restricting the orientation of liquid crystal molecules and for maintaining the cell gap (thickness of the liquid crystal layer) as a spacer.